Off-season is when you see players trying new things. Scottie Scheffler tried a new putting grip. Call it saw or claw, he doesn’t care. Will Zalatoris is all bulked up – gained 15 pounds of muscle said Willy Z – to gain more distance. Justin Thomas has joined the bandwagon as well. The two-time major champion was already gunning for more distance and at the Hero World Challenger, he was up there with a new driver. Let’s take a deep dive into his quiver at the Albany resort.
Justin Thomas’s 2024 was an eventful year filled with experiments
Justin Thomas has been using a Titleist TSR3 driver for quite long. In May, he switched to TSR2. The reason was his accuracy (or the lack of it) with the longest club. And with the PGA Championship approaching in his hometown, Thomas wanted to fix that. The TSR2 offered a higher spin and launch.
But in July, the PGA Tour Pro once again changed his driver. This time it was GT2, which he had utilized for the latter part of the year. Until the 2024 Hero World Challenge. At the Bahamas, Justin Thomas revealed he was using a 46” driver that handed him additional 2-3MPH ball speed, and 8-10 yards of carry.
The 31-year-old said after the first round, “I drove the hell out of it on the back, so that was nice to try something different and have it go a little bit better on the back.” Thomas averaged over 320 yards at Albany, significantly higher than the 309 yards that he averaged this season on Tour. Thomas fits his driver with a Mitsubishi Prototype shaft and has a 10-degree loft.
JT used a 46″ driver today, more than an inch longer than his gamer.
Said he brings it with him to different TOUR stops, but hardly puts in play. Adds 2-3mph ball speed, 8-10 yards of carry and 15 yards total.
Can’t get as creative with it, wouldn’t put in play in higher winds https://t.co/6UocrWdLVr pic.twitter.com/jAWBSXiAVq
— Paul Hodowanic (@PaulHodowanic) December 5, 2024
Next on his bag is a Titleist TS3 3-wood (15-degrees) that goes with a Mitsubishi Tensei AV Raw Blue 85 TX shaft. Additionally, the PGA Tour pro uses a Titleist 915 5-wood with an 18-degree loft and Fujikura Motore Speeder VC 9.2 X shaft. Interestingly, he was spotted using a TSR 2-wood at the 2024 Valspar Championship.
Coming to Irons, Justin Thomas had made some changes on this front as well. Before the Masters, he added two more irons to his bag along with the 621.JT has mid-to-short irons (6-9) that he has been using for years. A T100 5-iron and a T200 4-iron also found a place inside his Titleist Tour Bag. A True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shaft fits his irons. While that covers one part, Thomas has experimented with his short game as well.
Wedges, putters, and the golf ball used by Thomas
This year, Justin Thomas ranked 45th in scrambling (62.17%) and 59th in sand save (58.25%) on the PGA Tour. The 2022 PGA Championship winner carries a Vokey Design SM 10 wedge (Loft: 46-10F, 52-12F, and Loft: 56-14F) along with a Wedge Works Proto 60 according to GolfWRX. True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (46) and S400 (52-60) shafts fit his wedges.
Putting is another area where Justin Thomas looked to make some improvements this year. The Kentucky native picked up Scotty Cameron Phantom X 5.5 Putter before the Masters. It didn’t really work out for the new dad on Tour as his putting stats were in the red. Thomas lost 0.478 strokes compared to the field. According to Titleist’s website, however, Thomas is currently working with a Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype. The 15-time PGA Tour winner also uses a Titleist Pro V1x Golf Ball.
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